Adjustable rod for shelves.



No. 808,611. PATENTED DEC. 26, 1905.

M. F. MILLER.

ADJUSTABLE BOD FOR SHELVES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.16,1905.

v UNITED STATES PATIENT QIFIFIQE,

ADJUSTABLE ROD FOR SHELVES.

Application filed January 16, 1905- To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, MERRIOK F. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianola, in the county of Warren and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Adjustable Rods for Shelves, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of my invention are toprovide an adjustable rod for shelves of simple, durable, and inexpensive construction with which rolls of paper and other articles may be held in position upon the shelf on which they are placed when this shelf is but partially filled with rolls of paper or other articles, and, further, to provide a device which is adapted for use between shelves the distance between which varies a certain amount, and, further, to provide a device of this character which can be positively locked in position between the shelves and which will not be affected by the weight of the articles on the shelves above.

My invention consists in certain details in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claim, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a detail sectional view of the device, showing the arrangement of parts, the central portion of the rod being broken away in this view; and Fig. 2 is a detail view showing the way in which the adjustable rods are placed in position between the shelves to hold wall-paper rolls in position on the shelves and also one of these rods holding books in position on the shelves when these shelves are but partially filled.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference-numeral 10 to indicate the rod which forms the body of my device. Rigidly attached to one end of this rod is a metallic cap 11, having a pointed outer end 12, which pointed outer end is designed to engage and enter slightly one of the shelves in the manner hereinafter designated. In the other end of the rod 10 from that to which the cap 11 is attached I have provided a central opening 13. Firmly attached to this end of the rod 10 and outside of the rod and around the opening I have provided a cap 1a, which has a screw threaded opening 15 leading through it and in line with the opening 13. In the screw-threaded opening 15 I have provided a screw 16, the inner portion of which is designed to enter the opening 13. The outer Specification of Letters Patent.

- Patented Dec. 26, 19k 5.

"serial No 241,225

end of the screw 16 is provided with a roughened head or surface 17, which roughened head or surface 17 is designed to engage one of the shelves between which the rod is designed to be placed. When the roughened head or surface 17 is placed in engagement with either of the shelves and is held in engagement therewith by a person holding the rod 10, it will be seen that by turning this rod in one direction the rod 10 will be moved in a direction away from the roughened head or surface 17 and in turning this in the opposite direction the rod will be moved toward this portion of the device, as the screw 16 acts on the screw-threaded cap 14: to move the rod upwardly or downwardly when the rod is turned.

In practical use and assuming that the rolls of wall-paper are in a compartment upon a shelf and that these rolls do not fill the compartment, the rolls are placed on top of each other and the operator places the roughened head or surface 17 upon the shelf 18 and then turns the rod in the direction to unscrew the screw 16, and as this operation is continued the pointed portion 12 of the cap 11 will engage the shelf 19, and as the turning movement of the rod is continued this pointed portion will enter the shelf 19 and the roughened surface will also engage firmly and possibly enter the shelf 18 and will be held firmly in position between the shelves, so that the rolls of paper will be supported in the position shown in Fig. 2. The same result is accomplished in the use of this adjustable rod by placing the pointed portion 12 of the cap 11 upon the shelf 18 and then holding the roughened head or surface 17 between the fingers while turning the rod 10 in the direction to cause the screw 16 to be unscrewed until the roughened surface engages the shelf 19.

In removing the rod from between the shelves the reverse operation is performed and the device is easily withdrawn from its supporting position between the shelves. This device is also adapted for use in supporting books and other articles in position on partially-filled compartments of shelves, and it is very advantageousowing to the fact thatthe adjustable parts of the rod are not affected by any sagging of the shelves owing to the fact that these parts are maintained constantly in position relative to each other, except when it is desired to move them by turning the rod or placing the rod in position. Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is

In a device of the class described, a rod, a pointed cap firmly secured to one end of the rod, a screw-threaded cap secured to the other end of the rod, a screw extending through the screw-threaded cap, and a roughened head or surface at the outer end of the screw designed to be placed in engagement with a shelf and l to hold the screw against rotary movement I while the rod is being turned for fixing the rod in position between two shelves.

MERRICK F. MILLER. Witness es:

W. H. BERRY, LEWIS VHODSON. 

